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50 Best Drone Pictures Of Last Year Have Been Announced By Dronestagram, And They’re Breathtaking

The fifth annual Dronestagram photo contest has recently taken place, with the winners just announced. Using drones to capture our planet from new and unique perspectives, the competition attracts thousands of entries from all over the world, showcasing the very best of drone photography.

This year's first prize winner was Hungry Hippos by zekedrone, an atmospheric shot taken at a low altitude, showing a bloat of hippos hanging out happily together in some muddy water. With the quality of entries at an all-time high and covering a variety of categories including urban, nature, people and creative, the judges faced some difficult decisions. "We were 6 of us to work out the best photos," Eric from Dronestagram told Bored Panda. "It wasn't easy because we received several thousand of them so you have to be very organized to choose the best ones."

"A good drone picture must have a strong verticality and also show scenes close up, from a view that can only be taken by a drone. Then it must be artistic in its approach and style and if possible show life with humans or animals."

If you are thinking of joining in on this flourishing new genre of photography, make sure to know the local rules and regulations about flying drones in the area, drones have gotten a fair bit of negative media coverage lately after they were used to cause havoc at British airports. Eric has some advice for novices to drone photography. "First learn to fly a drone and master it perfectly before moving on to shooting," he told us. "You can learn and train with a small and robust $50 drone, then once you know how to fly it, invest in a good camera drone. Try to fly in the countryside, and respect the local rules and laws!"

Just like last year, we here at Bored Panda have selected a list of our favorite finalists from the contest, which you can check out yourself below. Which one did you like best? Let us know in the comments!

#9 Al Qudra Desert, United Arab Emirates By Whosane

#10 On The Nhu Y River By Tuan Nguyen

On the Nhu Y river in Hue City, Vietnam. The girls in Ao Dai dresses (traditional dresses) were releasing the floating candles on the river to pray for peace and happiness. This is the spiritual culture longstanding in Vietnam

#16 Reynisdrangar By Balazs3

Stunning! Reminds me of some cliffs where I saw a beautiful house for sale in Norfolk, UK. Too near the cliff so the price was massively reduced - they expect it to end up in the sea within 20 years. Such a shame.

#23 Les 3 Volcans By Dronecopters

We are just tiny, insignificant, short-lived travelers on a giant ball of molten rock. Live like there is no tomorrow, and at the same time as though your life will never ever end. And plant an olive tree, if the climate where you are living allows you to. Cheers!

#45 Cast A Net By Tuan Nguyen

I saw some fishermen casting their net into a river. This is a profession in longstanding Hue, Vietnam. In the afternoon, if we stroll on the Vy Da bridge, we will see fishermen casting their net on the Nhu Y river